Your Sun Sign isn't always obvious to others, especially upon first meeting. What they usually see is your Ascendant or Moon sign or some heavy grouping of planets in one sign.

This is strange considering the Sun is the most brilliant object in the heavens. It should be the first thing people notice, but even the Sun can be obscured, especially when it is below the horizon, eclipsed, or when there is heavy cloud cover.

In astrology, the horizon is the represented by the Earth plane or Ascendant-Descendant axis. Eclipses of the Sun or Moon are caused by a dark and little known body called Rahu, and clouds are part of the Sky/Dome or Heaven (Midheaven in astrology).

All of these three bodies or factors -Ascendant(Earth), Midheaven(Sky), and the mysterious Rahu(which many say is the North Node), can hide or overshadow your Sun which is your deepest and most central spiritual self. The Sun is what we always feel inside, the part of us that is always observing, like a king on the throne, and who makes the final decisions. The MC is our Higher Self which guides us and Rahu is our lower self which can lead us astray.

The Moon appears to play an intermediary or middle-man role between the Sun and Ascendant. Even the length of its zodiacal orbit suggests this with the Earth/Ascendant as 1 day, the Moon at 27 days and the Sun at 365 days, The shorter the zodiacal orbit, the more personal or obvious the influence becomes.

We light up and connect when we see someone with the same Ascendant as our Sun because that person is a physical or visible manifestation of our deepest self. We do this with other planets in the same sign as our Sun, but the Earth/Ascendant link is the most powerful or immediate.

As spiritual and creative beings(Sun) there is nothing more satisfying than to unite with someone physically(Ascendant), and unless your Sun and Ascendant are both in the same sign (a one in twelve chance), you will constantly seek to express through others. This happens to a lesser degree with your Mars and Jupiter signs which are the other components of your spiritual triad.

Your Sun will shine brighter if it is in the same element or even gender as your Ascendant. This will allow your true innermost self to express easily and people won't have to wait long to really know you. It's when your Sun and Ascendant are in very different signs or incompatible elements that causes all the problems and misunderstandings, and that means basically half of us. Astrologically, the Sun and Ascendant are best placed in masculine signs (fire or air) where they give superior expression and sociability.

People who are stiff, fake, or unexpressive, usually have Suns and Ascendants that are incompatible. What they show(Ascendant) is not what they really want(Sun). A Leo rising, for example will be all confident and generous, but if the Sun is in Capricorn, they'll be privately insecure and wish they hadn't been so generous. This creates a conflict within self as well as with others and can lead to wrong or shallow relationships and negative or unpredictable situations.

The Ascendant or Rising Sign truly is a double-edged sword. It can ease or open the door between two otherwise incompatible Suns(egos), or it can drive them even further apart. The Moon and other planets can be mitigating factors, but they will never be as decisive as either the Sun or Ascendant. The Sun is the King or eternal God-self that never changes and the Ascendant is his or her personal Representative or Emissary. The Moon is the Queen or Mother and the other planets play lesser or subordinate roles.

Those who say they don't feel anything like their Sun sign either don't know themselves very well or have stronger more overpowering influences in their chart. The Ascendant can be one of those influences, or a large grouping of planets in other signs. Family or social conditioning contrary to one's natural inclinations can also be a factor. It's important to allow yourself the time or opportunity to really connect with your true or innermost self which is that inner voice that will never lead you astray and will always bring happiness, love, and fulfillment.